Poisoned
by WorldsWorthlessToy
Summary: They looked at each other, trying to catch their breath. “How long?”, he asked. “Four hours”, she answered. “Well?” He grinned. “Half an hour.” She managed a sardonic smile. “Peachy”, she said. “Shall we?” - War against the Sound. Semi-graphic lemon.


Poisened

Dedicated to: Sutakane-chan. Please enjoy.

Sakura sat up and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She looked down on the man she had been treating – minutes ago he had been close to death, now he was unconscious, breathing unevenly, but breathing nevertheless. Sakura inhaled deeply to steady herself.

"Bring him somewhere safe", she ordered the two chuunin who were with her to help her. They nodded in silent and obeyed her orders. Sakura ducked a kunai that flew her way. She suppressed the shaking threatening to take over her body. This was war, after all. She was in duty. She had no right and not time to be afraid.

She got up, not too high though so none of the enemy ninja down the abyss would see her. She crawled over to the next person still breathing, trying to ignore the rasping, fading breath of the dying around her. She needed only a few seconds to notice that she couldn´t help him. She took a red pill out of a dispenser in her equipment bag and leaned in to the man who had blood from his insides covering his vest and chin.

"I can´t help you", she said into his ear. "But if you want me to, I can release you from the pain." The man looked at her, wide-eyed. "Make… the pain… stop", he croaked, begging, and more blood came up, strangling him. She helped him cough it out and then gave him the pill into his mouth. "Swallow that", she said. "It´ll be over in a minute." The man obeyed. Sakura took his shaking hand, felt his bloody and sweaty fingers grasp hers as if she would be offering him a life-saver.

Then the fingers relaxed and the man exhaled deeply, open eyes becoming empty. Sakura swallowed her tears. She wasn´t supposed to cry. This was war.

She got up and crawled on. The chuunin returned and helped her to bring eight surviving shinobi to a cave on the border to the fire country. Eight. Of the ninety-two that were sent here. Why, after Orochimaru´s death, was the Sound still so powerful?

The chuunin and Sakura made their way into the cave without being noticed, or so they thought. They set up traps in front of the cave and organized the watch. All three of them were tired and exhausted – they had been on the battlefield for over twenty hours now and the adrenalin was probably the only thing keeping them awake.

Sakura only needed half a minute to fall asleep. Her chakra was drained and her muscles tense. She cursed herself. Had she not fallen into Kabuto´s trap this whole fight could have been avoided. It was her fault. She had to save the eight remaining shinobi as well as the two chuunin who helped her and return to the village. And then go to kill Kabuto.

Kabuto had something about him, something alluring. Sakura had never thought of someone the way she did about him. Love? No. Probably not. Sakura couldn´t define it. #1 Rule of the Shinobi World: Never show your feelings. Don´t cry. Don´t look relieved. Don´t look scared. Don´t love. She was a kunoichi. The rules were her law. And still the fact remained – Sakura fell into Kabuto´s trap as he said he would betray the Sound and tell Sakura an opening in the village´s defenses. And here they were, lured right into a clumsy trap and almost wiped out because she wanted to believe someone.

Sakura awoke from a strangled gasp at the cave´s exit. She blinked a few times and turned around to look, but the cave was filled with dark-violet smoke. Oh no. They found them. The chuunin awake and the one sleeping lost consciousness. Sakura struggled to her feet and pressed a hand onto mouth and nose.

The injured also inhaled the gas and the few conscious also blacked out. Sakura used a jutsu to get more adrenalin and swallowed a pill that would, hopefully, keep her awake. Then she breathed. It worked. She didn´t faint. She made her way to the exit, slowly, soundless.

She sensed someone at the exit, but due to her exhaustion and the heavy smoke she couldn´t tell who it was. She took a kunai and froze, waiting for him to move.

He did. He entered the cave and she saw a twinkle of light somewhere through the smoke. The next moment she and Kabuto locked kunai. "You betrayed me", she hissed. He smirked. "Why did I believe you in the first place?", she asked. He pushed his glasses up his nose with his free hand. "How should I know?" His words made her furious.

"I thought you changed", she said. She hated him. And she hated herself. Her mistake killed eighty-four shinobi. She hadn´t told the elders and the Hokage the information she had came from Kabuto, otherwise they would never have sent shinobi here.

"Me?", he asked rhetorically. "Changing?" Sakura suppressed tears of fury. Both kunai broke and the medicnin let go of them, the handles on the stone floor making a small noise. Then, and Sakura didn´t really know how or why, they were kissing.

His grip bruised her shoulders. Her fingernails sank into his back. She bit him. He bit back. His hand went into her hair and ripped, she closed a hand around his neck and squeezed. Hitting, kicking, biting, scratching. Her back hit the wall of the cave. The smoke slowly vanished. "How come", he breathed into her ear, "you have an antidote again? I developed this not long ago." "You used it one time", she gasped and took out a kunai. "It was no problem making an antidote to it."

Kabuto smirked and took out a kunai himself. He pressed one of her hands against the wall, bruising it and disturbing her circulation, making her fingers go numb. He had her knife at his throat in an instant but didn´t let go. "What the fuck do you think you´re doing?", she asked, her breath unsteady. "Well, what do _you _think I´m doing?", he asked back. She slapped his face. His glasses hit the floor.

"Don´t fucking touch me", she gasped. He let go of his kunai and got a hold on her other wrist, pinning it to the other side of her head. Then he let go to form a hand seal and even before she could move a finger, she was completely stiff. She looked at him with wide eyes, her hands on either side of her head and she was unable to lower them. Her muscled won´t move.

"Why… can´t I… move", she breathed. He leaned in and with his lips inches away from hers he spoke to her in a low, enthralling tone. "What´s with those wide eyes? Afraid, little girl? I´ll tell you something. You might have talent, but this is actual war. This is no children´s game." She panted, her lips slightly parted, her blood rushing in her ears. "But don´t worry. I will take care of you." She shuddered violently. What was he doing to her? And why?

"I will make you a woman", he explained. "So you won´t get lost in this again. Not as a child anymore." She shook her head, panicking. "Don´t", she breathed. "D-Don´t!" He didn´t answer. He just picked up his kunai and began to tear her clothes to shreds. "No", she whispered. He kissed her.

It hurt. Whatever he did, it hurt. Even his kisses hurt. Sakura gritted her teeth. She wouldn´t cry.

It felt good. Whatever he did, it was making her yearn for more. Sakura closed her eyes. She wouldn´t beg.

He talked and she wondered whether she should concentrate on his words or his thrusts. "All the time you were watching me, weren´t you? Well, this is your reward for being so intractable. I really am impressed by your abilities, you know. So much that I want to break you." She whimpered then took a hold on herself. Think of the rules: stay calm, always. No matter what, keep your cool.

He released. She didn´t. He retreated. She felt empty. She was panting and so was he. She didn´t ask for him to come back. He did it on purpose. She wasn´t broken. And she would show him. "Release that", she demanded. To her great surprise, he did. Then he caught her shoulders and kissed her. She fought back, trying to get him away from her.

His tongue snaked between her lips. She bit him. He retreated. Something was in her mouth. Something small and round and firm. A pill. She tried to spit it out. He didn´t let her, one hand covering her mouth and nose at the same time. He caught her flying fist with the other. "Swallow", he said when she wouldn´t stop fighting him. "Swallow and I´ll let go." She choked, desperately trying to get some air into her lungs but he didn´t let her. She swallowed.

"Do you think you can deceive me?", he asked. "Again, this time the pill, too." She obeyed, ready to pass out from suffocation. He let go. She sucked air into her lungs, then coughed. And fell to the ground, onto knees and hands. "It´s poison, isn´t it?", she asked between strangled gasps. He nodded and turned around. "You will die here", he said and began to make his way out of the cave. "I will let the other idiots live. After all, it´s your fault they´re injured."

He took another step. A fourth. A fifth. A sixth. Then something pointed sank into his nape. He let out a loud growl of pain, then he turned around, pulling the needle out and looking at it. Sakura stood in front of him, holding herself with hands on knees, panting heavily. Something green dripped from the tip of the needle. He couldn´t help but smile. "So like Tsunade", he said. "You´re as stubborn as she is." Sakura straightened herself. "This poison is new", she said. "I haven´t used it a single time since now. The only antidote there is I have with me."

"I guess saying "please" won´t do any good, will it?", he said and threw the needle back at her. She dodged it. She fell to her knees again, spitting blood. He looked at his own hands. They were shaking. He felt something coming up his throat. Then he, too, fell to his knees and vomited onto the stone floor.

They looked at each other, trying to catch their breath. "How long?", he asked. "Four hours", she answered. He nodded.

"Well?"

He grinned. "Half an hour." She managed a sardonic smile. "Peachy", she said. "Shall we?"

Their fists met in mid-air. She felt one of his fingers break under the pressure of the clash. Pain shot up her arm as he poured his chakra through the connection. He looked at her body and she noticed she was still naked. "What are you looking at?"

"You." Sakura was affronted by his bluntness. "Shame on you", she said and kicked his stomach. He hit a wall. She followed him. Using taijutsu was not a funny thing with the poison in the blood. She stumbled. She didn´t really see or feel what happened, but next thing she was on the floor and he above her. "Don´t you dare kissing me now", she said. "You vomited a minute ago." He shrugged. "Your fault." She suppressed the attraction of his body and fought back. Then she coughed up blood again.

"Not in a good condition, are we?", he taunted. He was pale and sweating. She pressed a reflex point at his shoulder and shoved him off her. "No, we definitely aren´t", she responded. "Give me the antidote. You have it with you, am I right?" Kabuto didn´t answer, but she didn´t need an answer. She took out a kunai and was above him in a second, the steel millimeters away from his throat. "The antidote", she said and blood was running down her chin as she spoke, dripping on his lips. He licked it up. "Now!" Something was stabbed into her leg. Everything went black.

As Sakura awoke, she was in hospital. She looked around disorientated and cleared her throat. What happened? She still had clothes on. But how come she was still alive? He said the poison worked in half an hour. If she was already back in Konoha the time was more than up.

"Sakura!"

The door flew open and Shizune entered the room, Tonton on her shoulder. "You´re awake!" Sakura blinked. Was that a dream? A post-death-vision? Imagination?

"We were so worried", Shizune said and began to check Sakura´s breathing, pulse and reflexes. Sakura was like stunned. Did she manage to get the antidote from Kabuto? No, that was not it. She blacked out during the fight, due to something he injected her. So how come…? Impossible!

Why would he give it to her when he was as well able to just let her die or even kill her himself? A thought came to mind and she looked down at her body. Sure enough, she was vested with _his_ clothes. He ruined hers, she remembered, before claiming her. Something was in her stomach, something painful. Claiming her. Owning her. She shook her head. She was her own, not his and not anybody else´s.

She moved every part of her body to see if it worked. "We didn´t dare to take your clothes off", Shizune said. "For you were so cold we didn´t want you to be naked even for seconds. You can change now though, if you feel good enough, they´re all bloody and sweaty." Sakura nodded. As she moved her feet she felt something in her right sock.

"Would you leave me alone so I can shower and dress?", she asked. Shizune nodded and left the room. "By the way, Sakura, we´re all extremely proud of you", she said as she opened the door. Sakura raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean?" "The information you got us", Shizune said. "Even though we lost a lot of shinobi, we wiped out the Sound completely, to the roots." Sakura´s eyes widened. But… "It was Tsunade-sama´s plan", Shizune explained. "Your unit was the one to break the thin defense walls, the real attack came after your retreat. I´m sorry nobody told you, but it was essential you fought with all you had."

Sakura didn´t know what to say. What was this about? She had been… a decoy? And even more important: Kabuto´s information hadn´t been a trap. Why would he do that?

"Don´t be angry with Tsunade-sama", Shizune pleaded. "She never meant to hurt you. She´s the Hokage, after all, and has to act like it." Sakura still didn´t talk. "Some of the Sound shinobi managed to get away", Shizune continued. "Orochimaru´s best henchmen, of course, this Kabuto along with some others. But we will get them soon enough. You get your rest now, Sakura, you deserve it." Then she left the room.

A few seconds passed. Sakura just sat there and stared at the closed door. _She´s the Hokage, after all, and has to act like it. _That was true and Sakura knew that, but… she ripped off her right sock and plunged a hand into it. Then she pulled out a folded piece of paper. She opened it and read the note.

_I hope you don´t mind I took the antidote from you._

Sakura gritted her teeth and clenched the note in her fist.

Fucking bastard.

--

PS: Another Kabuto/Sakura, even though I liked "Gagged" better I´m quite contented. Yes, of yourse, he gave her his antidote and she will live. And by the way - don´t misunderstand me, I like Tsunade, but she _is _the Hokage and has to think like that if she wants to reach the village´s goals. Using a decoy is a beneficial and effective war strategy where human sacrifices can´t be avoided. That´s the truth, no matter how brutal it may sound, so let´s hope and pray and work to have worldwide peace.

PPS: Please forgive my grammatical errors – even after the eighth English fanfic I´ve posted I´m not a native speaker.

Toy.


End file.
